Newscasts - Teamsters mull not endorsing Biden in 2024 race

Yellow

16/07/2024 10:04

Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_04aslogv&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2024:newsml_RW920116072024RP1_930&pageId=Newscasts
Source: 'Reuters - Business videos'

Description: President Joe Biden is on the brink of failing to win a key labor
endorsement as leaders of the 1.3 million-member Teamsters union consider
backing no candidate at all in the U.S. presidential race, according to two
people familiar with the matter. Ryan Chang reports.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/3W4ihyc

Video Transcript:

Joe Biden may lose key union support ahead of the US presidential race, as
leaders of the 1.3-million-member, Teamsters union consider backing no
candidate at all. Sources say a final decision on the matter is expected to
come in the next few weeks. The union previously backed Biden in 2020 and
working-class groups in closely contested states, such as Michigan,
Pennsylvania and Nevada helped power his election victory that year. But
people familiar with the union's deliberations point to months of
deteriorating relations with Biden's team and some Teamsters leaders' concerns
about Biden's political endurance. Teamsters president Sean O'Brien also made
an appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday
night and gave praise to Biden's opponent, Republican candidate Donald Trump.


But one thing is clear. President Trump is a candidate who is not afraid of
hearing from new, loud and often critical voices. And I think we all can agree
whether people like him or they don't like him. In light of what happened to
him on Saturday, he has proven to be one tough “SOB”.


Still, sources say it's unlikely the Teamsters will endorse Trump either, due
to deep divisions in the union. It will be the first time since 1996 that the
Teamsters considered backing no candidate at all. The group's frustrations
with Biden have grown in recent months. O'Brien was denied an Oval Office
meeting to discuss a key priority, rescuing trucking giant Yellow Corp and its
30,000 union jobs from bankruptcy. A person familiar with the discussion say
frustrations were compounded after calls from Democratic lawmakers and donors
for Biden to drop his re-election bid, following the presidential debate last
month